Bhadrachala Ramadasu
A statue of Bhakta Ramadasu singing a song in Rama's praise
Background information
Also known as	Ramadasu, Bhakta Ramadasu
Born	Kancharla Gopanna (Goparaju) c. 1620 Nelakondapalli,Golconda Sultanate (present-dayKhammam District, Telangana, India)
Died	1688 (aged 68) Bhadrachalam
Genres	Carnatic music
Occupation(s)	Tehsildar andVaggeyakara
Website	bhadrachalaramadasu.com

Kancharla Gopanna (Telugu:కంచర్ల గోపన్న) (c. 1620 – 1688), popularly known asBhakta Ramadasu orBhadrachala Ramadasu (Telugu:భద్రాచల రామదాసు), was a 17th-century devotee of theHindu godRama, a saint-poet and a composer ofCarnatic music. He is a famousVaggeyakara (classical composer)^[a] from the Telugu classical era. He was born in the village ofNelakondapalli inKhammam district, and orphaned as a teenager. He spent his later years inBhadrachalam and 14 years in solitary confinement at the Golconda prison during theQutb Shahi rule. Different mythical stories about his life circulate in the Telugu tradition. He is renowned for constructing the famousSita Ramachandraswamy Temple and pilgrimage center on the banks of river Godavari at Bhadrachalam. His devotionalkirtana lyrics to Rama illustrate the classical Pallavi, Anupallavi and Charanam genre composed mostly in Telugu, some in Sanskrit and with occasional use of Tamil language. These are famous in South Indian classical music asRamadaasu Keertanalu.^{[citation needed]}

Ramadasu was aSri Vaishnava.^[1] Ramadasu was a writer of Telugusatakams. He wrote the Daasarathi Satakamu (దాశరథి శతకము) with a 'makuTamu' (మకుటము) 'Daasarathee Karunaa payonidhee' (దాశరథీ కరుణా పయోనిధీ), a collection of nearly 108 poems dedicated to Rama.^[2]

Kancherla Gopanna (Goparaju), later known as Bhakta Ramadasu, was born in a moderately well to doTelugu speakingNiyogi Brahmin family to Linganna Mantri and Kamamba inNelakondapalli village in theKhammam District ofTelangana. He was orphaned in the teens, triggering an impoverished life, sustained by singing bhakti songs to Rama and collecting rice door to door.^[3] His life story has been largely reconstructed from poems he composed or is assumed to have composed, where there is a mention of events of his life. For example, one bhakti song mentionsNarayanadasulu, a term linked to the Narayana mantra, is believed to be linked to Sri Vaishnavism guru Raghunatha Bhattacharya, who initiated him as a boy into the Dasarathi tradition. These and other hagiographic accounts found in Yakshagana or Harikatha compilations present him as a boy-prodigy with an impulsively creative mind composing lyrics on the Hindu god Rama.^[4]

His maternal uncles were theMadanna and Akkanna brothers. They had helpedAbul Hasan Qutb Shah (Tana Shah) gain power after the death ofAbdullah Qutb Shah in 1672, Tana Shah's father-in-law. As reward for their material support during a period of power struggle with Aurangzeb and the Mughal Empire, the brothers were appointed ministers at the court ofTana Shah of theQutb Shahi dynasty inKingdom of Golconda.^[5] They helped their orphaned nephew Gopanna. Beyond this, little is known about his early life and much is shrouded in mythistory created by the later hagiographic tradition. He is said to have learnedTelugu,Sanskrit,Persian, andUrdu.^[3]

In 1650, Gopanna traveled to Hyderabad to meet his maternal uncles, who were at that time working in the tax department of Golconda Sultanate under the minister Mirza Mohammed Sayyad. They persuaded the minister to give a job to their nephew Gopanna. Mirza Mohammed Sayyad appointed Gopanna in tax collection department in Bhadrachalam, where the temple dedicated to Rama already existed.^[6]

A different version of his career is found inRamadasu Charitra, a hagiographic Telugu text. It states that sometime after 1672, Ramadasu in his early 50s, was appointed as thetahsildar (tax collector) of 'Palvoncha Paragana' by Akkanna, his uncle, who was then a minister and the administrative head in the court ofQutub Shahi SultanAbul Hassan Tana Shah.^[6]

There are contradictory stories about his life after he became the tehsildar and led the tax collection activities at Bhadrachalam. All these stories share a common theme – he collecting Jizya religious tax from Hindus in Bhadrachalam area, he reconstructing or building anew the famed large Rama temple of Bhadrachalam, partly with donations and partly with tax he had collected for the Golconda Sultanate, his arrest on charges of fraud and misuse of the taxes, he spending 14 years in solitary confinement in Golconda prison where he composed poems for the Lord Rama, his release and return to Bhadrachalam. In some version, god Rama and his brother Lakshmana reappear on earth and pay the ransom demanded by Golconda Sultanate for his release. In other versions, the Sultan under attack from Aurangzeb forces and facing imminent collapse, opens a new trial, finds him innocent and acquits him. The varying accounts are found in the records of the Dutch East India company, the temple's hagiography, and the regional Telugu oral traditions.^[6][7]

Once, Ramadasu visited Bhadrachalam for aJatara (fair) and was disturbed by the dilapidated state of theRama temple there. Bhadrachalam is significant to devotees of Rama for many reasons. Lord Rama stayed near the Parnasala there withSita andLakshmana during his exile and also visitedShabari near Bhadrachalam (although it is believed that Shabari used to live nearKishkindha, the kingdom ofVanaras inRamayana which is believed to be nearHampi ).Pothana is believed to have been given direction by Rama to translate theBhagavata Purana intoTelugu here. In spite of its significance, the temple was utterly neglected. So, Ramadasu started to raise funds for the renovation and reconstruction of the temple. After he emptied his coffers and could raise no more money, the villagers appealed him to spend his revenue collections for the reconstruction and promised to repay the amount after harvesting crops. As such, Ramadas finished the reconstruction of the temple with six hundred thousand rupees collected from land revenues - without the permission of theAbul Hasan Qutb Shah.

As the temple was nearing completion, he was perplexed one night about fixing theSudarshana Chakra at the crest of the main temple. On the same night, it is believed that he saw Rama in his dream and asked him to have a holy dip in theGodavari River. When Gopanna did so the next day, it is believed that he found the holy Sudarshana Chakra in the river very easily.

The story continues that soon after the reconstruction, his miseries started. He was dismissed from his job by his enemies who spread a lot of fake news.^[8] (nearHyderabad) Ramadas was cast into jail with orders that he be released only after the exchequer received all the taxes in full. Ramadas implores Rama through many emotional songs that were popularized from the stanzas of 'Dasaradhi Sathakam ' and 'Keertanas' of Bhakta Ramadasa. They praise the Lord for all his mysterious ways in popularizing his devotees and Ramadas regularly sings to the Lord. The songs end in a state of total and unconditional surrender to the will of the Almighty.

After one year, SultanTana Shah saw Rama in his dream and foundRama mudras (golden coins with Rama's image on it) beside him.
Thereafter he released Ramadasu and established a tradition to sendPearls to theBhadrachalam temple on everyRama Navami festival and this tradition was continued by the next rulers likeNizams of Hyderabad.^[9]

Ramadasu is one of the bhakti movement poet-saints of Hinduism, and a revered composer in the Carnatic music tradition. His compositions are largelykirtan genre, all focused on the Hindu god Rama from theRamayana. He is most known for his pallavi, anupallavi and caranam compositions in Telugu and some in Sanskrit. His musical mudras vary and are remembered by his name or his favorite place Bhadrachalam; for example, Ramadas, Bhadrachalavasa, Bhadradri, Bhadragiri, Bhadrasyla and others. His compositions were popular in his days, and influenced many into the modern age. This includes Tyagaraja who dedicated 5 of his own compositions in praise of Ramadasu, with one equating him to figures such as the Narada muni and bhakta Prahlada, legendary and much loved personalities in Hinduism.^[10]

He composedDasarathi Satakam, a bhakti poem with didactic metric style whose lines and stanzas are often sung or shared in the regional Telugu tradition.^[11] However, like the works of many poet-saints and philosophers on the Indian subcontinent, it is unclear which of the poems attributed to Ramadasu were authentically composed by him. There are six compilations named after Ramadasu, four of which are all calledRamadasu Charitra, one calledBhadrachala Ramadasu and another calledBhakta Ramadasu. These are in the form of a Yakshagana or Harikatha about Ramadasu and his songs. They are from six authors – Yadavadasu, Singaridasu, Krishnadasu, Ayyagiri Veerbhadra Rao, Balaji Dasu, and Pentapati Rao. Many contain between 100 and 108, but one has 137 songs attributed to Ramadasu. Taken together, a total of 190 different compositions have been attributed to him, with one critical edition attributing 37 songs before he was arrested by Islamic authorities, 64 while he was held in jail for 12 years, and 31 songs in the final years after his release. Thus, 132 songs are likely to have been composed by Ramadasu. Further, a notable feature of Ramadasu's compositions is his knowledge and his use of ragas from both South Indian schools (20 ragas) and North Indian schools (17 ragas), thereby uniting the two classical musical traditions.^[12]

In non-scholarly claims feeding the popular imagination, many more compositions are attributed to him. For example, according to the Indian newspaperThe Hindu, Ramadasu composed nearly 300 songs and his works on Rama moved the Sultan.^[13] The Navaratna krithis of Ramadasu are as follows:

The above krithis are sung on the occasion of Bhadrachala Ramadasu Jayathi Utsavam, which falls in January and February of every year. Carnatic musicians and singers all over India will perform in this event.

Other popular compositions of ramadasu are as follows:-

• Ramachandraya Janaka Rajaaja Manohara in Kurinji
• Tarakamantramu inDhanyasi
• Ye Teeruga Nanu in Nadanamakriya
• Adigo Bhadradri inVarali
• Anta Ramamayam inDarbari Kannada
• Charanamulae Nammidhi inKapi
• Rama Ra Ra inKamas
• Dasharatha Rama Govindha inKamas^[14]
• O Rama ni namamu in Poorvi Kalyani^[15]
• Paluke bangara mayena inAnanda Bhairavi

• StalwartV. Nagayya produced, directed, and essayed Kancherla Gopanna inRamadasu which won the National Film Award.
• K. Raghavendra Rao directedSri Ramadasu withNagarjuna as Kancherla Gopanna.^[16]

• http://www.bhadradriramadarsini.comArchived 2 February 2011 at theWayback Machine
• http://www.karnatik.com/co1015.shtml
• http://www.bhadrachalarama.org/templehistory.html

• 17th-century Hindu religious leaders
• Telugu poets
• 1620 births
• 1680 deaths
• Carnatic composers
• 17th-century classical composers
• 17th-century Indian poets
• Indian male poets
• 17th-century Indian composers
• Indian male classical musicians
• 17th-century Indian male writers
• Poets from Telangana
• Musicians from Telangana
• 17th-century Indian male musicians
• Indian male composers

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